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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Money Problems?

By Steve Laubeon November 21, 2022
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Money is of significant importance to every one of us. Some writers live on the revenue generated by their efforts. We represent a number of clients who are the main breadwinners in their families.

It is unfortunate that the role of the agent is regularly defined by the size of the deal. The film Jerry Maguire made the slick, money-centered agent into a cliche with his client shouting, “Show me the money!” Don’t get me wrong; I firmly believe the “labourer is worthy of his hire” (Luke 10:7, KJV). You and I earn our wages. There is no entitlement or handout. If I represent a weak project, it won’t sell; and I won’t be paid. If you write a weak project, it won’t sell either.

The problem comes when money, usually a lack thereof, becomes a distraction. I remember talking to an author years ago who would live off advances and royalty checks as if they were a weekly salary. Once the bank was empty, the author would go to the publisher and beg to borrow against future earnings. This yo-yo financial state created enormous pressure on the ability of that writer to create new material.

While that is an extreme example, it is illustrative of the dangers of mismanaging money. But what about those who are driven by the need for bigger deals or even a new deal, citing money as the catalyst of their anxiety?

I came across a convicting list titled “Signs That I Love Money” from Alistair Begg in his message “Restructuring Our Finances.”

Signs that I love money:
(1) When money thoughts consume my day
(2) When the blessings of others make me jealous
(3) When success is defined by what I have vs. what I am in Jesus Christ
(4) When my family is neglected in my pursuit of money
(5) When I close my eyes to the genuine needs of others
(6) When I live in paralyzing fear of losing my money
(7) When I am prepared to borrow myself into bondage
(8) When I give to God my leftovers, rather than my first-fruits

Ouch. I wish I had not read that, for I am guilty. Instead, I should endeavor to turn that around and redeem the problem by being thankful. And what a perfect week to be thinking about that.

As we move into the season of Thanksgiving, let us give thanks. Thanks for the provisions we do enjoy. For the roof over our heads and the food on our plates. For the freedoms we enjoy and our Lord who will provide (Jehovah Jireh).

In October 1863, in the midst of a horrific Civil War and only a few months after the Battle of Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed these words:

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that [the gifts of God] should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens … to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

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Category: Book Business, Money, PersonalTag: Money, thanksgiving

Fun Fridays – November 18, 2022

By Steve Laubeon November 18, 2022
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Admittedly, today’s video is odd. But one cannot avoid the creativity. A musician writes a song around the strange meowing of his neighbor’s cat. Complete with lyrics. Enjoy! And then comment if you see a metaphor here for the writing life.

Read moreFun Fridays – November 18, 2022
Category: Fun Fridays

What’s the Deal With One-Sheets?  

By Dan Balowon November 17, 2022
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I believe it is safe to say almost every book is purchased before it is read. Or, at the very least, the decision to read it is made before it is read. Wow, we are mining the depths of Dan’s publishing wisdom today. There’s a reason aspiring and even experienced authors are encouraged to create a one-page pitch sheet for their books. If you can’t explain your work in relatively few words, you need …

Read moreWhat’s the Deal With One-Sheets?  
Category: Book Proposals, Pitching

4 Ways to Be a Grateful Writer

By Bob Hostetleron November 16, 2022
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How great is it being a writer? Sure, there are downsides. Rejection. Revision. Poverty. And so on. But all in all, writers are a privileged bunch. We get to write! We get to “live and move and have our being” among words, sentences, magazines, blogs, and books. We know how to use semicolons and apostrophes (well; some of us’ do anyway). We sometimes even experience the joy of knowing someone has …

Read more4 Ways to Be a Grateful Writer
Category: Personal, TheologyTag: thanksgiving

Five Reasons Why You May Never Get Published

By Steve Laubeon November 14, 2022
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[I posted a version of this article 521 weeks ago. Amazing how true the principles remain unchanged.] There are many factors that go into the acquisition, development, and sale of a new book. But the majority of ideas never get to that point. I thought it might be helpful to review some of the most common issues we’ve run into. 1. You Won’t Do the Work Writing a novel, a nonfiction …

Read moreFive Reasons Why You May Never Get Published
Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Writing CraftTag: Get Published

Veterans Day

By Steve Laubeon November 11, 2022
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Today is a special day in the United States where we honor our veterans. It is our opportunity to thank and celebrate all those who have served our country in military service. Thank you for your service! Last year Andrew Budek-Schmeisser posted these great words. They are perfect for this day: They did not have deferments,or parents in high places,yet death has still same permanence;do you recall …

Read moreVeterans Day
Category: Personal

You Might Not Like My Edits

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon November 10, 2022
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Just for fun, here’s an edited (see how I did that!) version of a conversation I had with one of my adult daughters after she sent me a short document she wanted me to check. Daughter: Have you finished yet? Me: I’m fiddling with it. Daughter: Oh no! Don’t do that. I just want you to look at it. Me: But … Daughter: I knew you were going to over-edit it. When I was in elementary school, I would …

Read moreYou Might Not Like My Edits
Category: Editing

Give Away Your Story

By Dan Balowon November 9, 2022
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Agents have a difficult time selling any kind of personal story, from memoirs that contain memories from one’s life to other types of autobiographical works that might recap the author’s story as a series of events. Regardless of the type, this writing generates very limited interest from traditional publishers, unless the author has a good-size marketing platform because they achieved a level of …

Read moreGive Away Your Story
Category: Book Proposals, Indie, Inspiration, Marketing

How to Manage Book Marketing Burnout With Nika Maples

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on November 8, 2022
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Writing and marketing your book is a hard job. Find out how authors can avoid book marketing burnout.
You can listen to this episode How to Manage Book Marketing Burnout With Nika Maples on Christian Publishing Show.

Read moreHow to Manage Book Marketing Burnout With Nika Maples
Category: The Writing Life

Book Industry Trends

By Steve Laubeon November 7, 2022
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Publishing is partly an exercise in guessing what might be the next surprise bestseller. Some of it is an educated guess based on certain trends we see in the industry and in society at large. Any exercise in naming these trends bears the risk of expressing the obvious or being out of date the moment they are stated. So bear with me as I tinker with some of the factors that are either influencing …

Read moreBook Industry Trends
Category: Book Business, Contracts, E-Books, Get Published, TrendsTag: book industry, Trends
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